A Notice to Zeke Residents

To the Editor:

So I’ve been thinking about writing a lot of letters to the Editor over the past few months... say maybe about ‘sportsphobia’ or ‘reverse racism’ ... (note: these terms are in quotes because THEY DO NOT EXIST). As I’m graduating shortly, I thought this might be the time to send in a letter. No –– I won’t rant and rave about how unbelievably messed up this ‘liberal’ institution is ... I won’t talk about how stupid and limiting liberalism is or how ‘sportsphobia’ is a big load of bullshit... .
I thought I’d respond specifically to the letters to the Editor about how Drag Ball isn’t being ruined by straight people and all that crap... I thought I’d share a little scene I witnessed at Drag Ball.
I was Peacekeeping and besides taking care of drunk people, I was stationed near the catwalk. I spent a good deal of my time swatting at the hands of straight, white boys who were trying to grab the Feed the Fire Drag Kings who were performing. I kept staring and staring at all these straight boys in dresses, making a mockery of drag performance and queer cultures, who felt ENTITLED to be at the front of the stage. The very front. They pushed aside plenty of queer folks to stake out their spot in the front. I watched many queer people move away from the catwalk –– from THEIR EVENT, after they had to watch all these hets make out and grope each other in between gropings of performers. So you wanted to know how straight people ruined Drag Ball –– there it is. These people were also white ... I’d guess that part of their sense of entitlement (similar to the white, straight sense of entitlement from the ‘athlete coalition’ to put their agenda before Julie, Tiff, Nija and Brianna’s agenda) came from their whiteness and their heterosexual privilege.
And before the onslaught of letters to the Editor start: I’m actually not a man-hating dyke. Although I am a dyke –– and I do know a lot of men who really suck, I’m equal opportunity with my hate. I save my hate for assholes at Drag Ball who sexually harass THE PEACEKEEPERS of all people. I save my hate for the ‘athlete coalition.’ I save my hate for the assholes at Zeke who stood outside and laughed at the Take Back the Night March, taking pictures and yelling ‘fuck you’ and ‘shut up.’ Oops –– am I generalizing? Well let me check my notes ... I guess there wasn’t a crowd of angry men at any other dorm on campus ... I guess I better not say that these men were ATHLETES or MEMBERS OF ZEKE –– but I guess I will anyway. NOTE TO MEMBERS OF ZEKE: If you want to dispel the myths that some of you are perpetrators of date rape, don’t stand outside your dorm and make fun of survivors of sexual violence. It doesn’t help your cause ... And for all you ‘innocent’ members of Zeke –– why didn’t you stop the men from mocking Take Back the Night? Where were you when this took place?
So. There. That’s the letter to the Editor. Enjoy.

–Rachel Barrett
College senior


 

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